editor’s note
with Amanda Armendariz
Mailing systems technology PUBLISHER Marll Thiede
EDITOR
It’s about Quality… and Quantity This issue’s theme of quality control comes at an appropriate time. Every day, we read articles and commentary about how, due to budget cuts or other factors, organizations are forced to make do with less. Making do with less often means making do with fewer employees, which means that there are more chances for quality to suffer. We hope that you’re able to take away some practical insight from our features on quality control and apply them to your organization’s mail operation. Despite the negative press mail often receives, it’s still a vital part of our lives and businesses. We need to ensure that our operations are running as smoothly as possible. And, when speaking of quality, its counterpart quantity comes to mind. We’ve all heard the phrase, “It’s not about quantity; it’s about quality.” Well, when it comes to mail, I wouldn’t say that’s exactly true. It’s about quality and quantity. In her Pushing the Envelope column on page 25, Kate Muth gives an interesting analysis regarding mail volumes in the first part of 2011. Some types of mail (such as Standard) are up, some (such as First Class) are down, and one thing is clear — we are never going to see the mail volumes that characterized years past, but that doesn’t mean the Postal Service is doomed. There’s still a healthy amount of mail coursing through our nation’s postal system, and if the USPS can find a way to capitalize on digital communications in addition to print, we have a great chance of survival. Quality and quantity — there’s the winning combination. As always, thanks for reading Mailing Systems Technology.
Amanda Armendariz amanda.c@rbpub.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kevin Conti, Dave Flora Wes Friesen, Kaz Jaszczak, Jim LeRose Christopher Lien, Elizabeth Lombard, Kate Muth Mike Porter, David Robinson, Wanda Senne
CIRCULATION
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